The Fox News Media Matters Obsession Intensifies

As I documented yesterday, Fox News is maniacally desperate to destroy the reputation of Media Matters before their book, The Fox Effect, is released next week. The latest evidence of their desperation: Four more articles on Fox Nation for a total of twelve in just three days.

There have also been four more segments broadcast on Fox News (two on Fox & Friends, one discussion on Happening Now with Jon Scott, and one featured on America Live with Megyn Kelly) for a total of nine in three days. This may be the most reported story on Fox News. That shows that the priority of crushing Media Matters far outweighs little things like the just-released White House budget, Iran’s nuclear program, the presidential election, or the turmoil in Syria and the Middle East. Fox can’t be bothered with any of that when there is a book coming out that is about to blow the lid off of their pseudo-news, GOP PR scam operation. And speaking of the GOP, according to Steve Doocy they have their priorities twisted as well:

“Some congressional Republicans are now looking at Media Matters tax-exempt status – that’s right, they get it – more specifically, why [Media Matters founder] David Brock’s liberal web site is allowed to use your tax dollars to attack Fox News Channel.”

It’s nice to know that Republicans in congress are working hard on the issues that matter to the American people. And, of course, none of this is coordinated. The congressional activity, the investigation by The Daily Caller (run by Fox News contributor, Tucker Carlson), the massive coverage of the story by Fox, and the imminent release of an anti-Fox book. It’s all just an incredible coincidence. It must be – Fox News said so:

A Fox News spokesperson told Mediaite on Tuesday afternoon that, “there is absolutely no coordination with the Daily Caller,” and they have “no idea what Tucker’s motivation is in on the timing of this.”

Well that settles it. Because Fox News wouldn’t lie. They might construct totally fabricated stories that advance their ideological agenda, but they wouldn’t lie. They would spread rumors that smear their perceived enemies, but lie? Never. They would even host disreputable psychiatrists whose ethical lapses precipitated their separation from the American Psychiatric Association as they did with Keith Ablow, who managed to invent a diagnosis of David Brock without ever having met him:

“If you are filled with self-loathing you will see demons on every street corner because you project that self-hatred. […] He’s a dangerous man because having followers and waging war, as he says, or previously being a right-wing hitman, this isn’t accidental language. It’s about violence, destruction, and he feels destroyed in himself.”

I really have to wonder if even the Fox News audience is so intellectually comatose that they wouldn’t recognize the feverish anxiety gushing from Fox in advance of the Media Matters book. A tree stump would notice that they are laying it on awfully thick. So the obvious question is what are they so afraid of? I guess we’ll find out next week.

Dave thinks that MRC targeting MM is analogous to MM targeting Fox. It’s more like MRC targeting NBC which, of course, they do relentlessly.

And I totally get the point of Daily Caller’s article. It is to make a first strike on MM before their book comes out. TDC’s article cannot be called an investigation because it is a rehash of stuff that has been published long ago.

“..far outweighs little things like Iran, the election, Syria…Fox News can’t be botherd with any of that…”

And yet another laughable lie from Mark. All of those topics and more have been covered (and are being covered) non-stop. They’re even covering the Whitney Houston story – although not nearly as much as the other netowrks, thank goodness. Mark’s credibility is once again shown to be hovering at zilcho.

And do you think anybody is going to be buying an upcoming Media Matters book?? Really? I predict that it will sell as many copies as Bill Press’ “Toxic Talk”, which sold about 5,000 copies. See, the American people do have a fair amount of common sense.

Scott, I’m getting a little tired of you repeatedly posting declarations that I’ve lied without backing it up. If you’ve got the goods I wouldn’t complain, but all you ever do is say that you think I’m wrong and therefore I’m lying.

Case in point, I documented the number of stories that Fox has broadcast to make my point. Then you simply state that they’ve covered other stories so I must be wrong. I never said they didn’t cover ANY other stories. And you didn’t do any research to document your claim. Can you tell me how many stories Fox & Friends did on Syria?

Are you capable of having a substantive discussion? If so, bring it on. If not, get lost.

No. I will not get lost. Your comment was that “Fox can’t be bothered by (Iran, the elections, etc.).” I have been on vacation this week, so I have been watching watching Fox News throughout the day. The coverage on these stories has been extensive and ongoing, just like any other legitimate news organization. Therefore, you lied. Again.

The point of this article is – and you’d know this if you had read the sentence preceding the one you keep quoting – that it is an issue of priorities. Why is Media Matters such a priority for a news (allegedly) outlet, that their website mentions them by name 166 times (I looked it up) and they’ve spent no fewer than nine segments in three days talking about them? If MMFA is truly a fly buzzing around an eagle, why bother?